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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been appointed to the honorary role of a European organization that fights against racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, the Office of Tony Blair announced Thursday.
Blair became the new chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), an international organization campaigning for tough new laws to tackle racism and discrimination in the name of religion.
Commenting on the new position, Blair said: "The work they are doing is crucial, because despite our best efforts to build a consensus around tolerance in Europe, we still see injustice, discrimination and hideous acts of violence on the continent."
"Incidents of extremism, rising anti-Semitism and surging Nationalist forces who seek to cultivate a spirit of resentment by playing on people's fears, threaten our European ideals of freedom, equality and a desire for peace," he said in a statement.
The former prime minister noted that such intolerance had been rejected before in history and must be rejected again today.
"The ECTR stands against such close-minded views - and I am delighted to have this opportunity to work with them to promote our shared vision for the future: societies based on an open-minded, inclusive and tolerant worldview," he added.
In an op-ed published by the Times newspaper Thursday, Blair wrote: "It is our firm belief that it is not religion or faith per se that causes or foments conflicts. It is the abuse of religion, which then becomes a mask behind which those bent on death and destruction all too often hide."
The article, coauthored with ECTR President and Jewish philanthropist Moshe Kantor, said that the issues "demand greater tolerance, understanding and legislative powers to achieve a solution."
"The ECTR plays a crucial role when it comes to education, dialogue and championing appropriate legislation," they said.
The article noted that the ECTR "brings together parties and political leaders who have been at the heart of some of the world' s most difficult conflicts to foster dialogue."
The work with the ECTR and Moshe Kantor is based on a "mutual interest" in religious tolerance and combating extremism, and the fee which ECTR pays to its honorary chairman will be donated in its entirety to the Faith Foundation, which Blair established in 2008, according to the Office of Tony Blair.
Last week, Blair announced that he would step down this month as Middle East peace envoy for the Quartet of the United States, United Nations, Russian and the European Union (EU), a role he has held for eight years since he stood down as British prime minister in 2007. Enditem
